The Ultimate Decision
by Ec1aire
Summary: Eggman is suddenly broken out of jail by an old ally. He quickly gets to work with his greatest idea yet - the creation of another Ultimate Lifeform. Nightshade then becomes his most powerful ally, but her life is full of nothing but blood and confusion and hatred. Yet a spark of something new forces its way into her body, and Nightshade has to choose between two families. HIATUS.
1. Prologue

**Prologue:**

Dr Eggman was sat in his prison cell, sulking. His wife, Dawn, and his son, Tyrone, were in a separate cell to him, so he was alone. And he felt it, too. Alone. In his entire imprisonment in this place he had not had a single visitor. His mind had grown full of ideas for dangerous weapons that he was _aching_ to create. One was his best idea ever. An idea that could finally get him the world. But, unfortunately for him, he couldn't do anything while he was _stuck in this god-damn cell!_ Eggman growled under his breath, before the loud squeaking of a door caught his attention. Eggman looked up to see a soldier dressed entirely in black walk up to his cell. A key was inserted in a lock, and Eggman was surprised to see the soldier enter his cell.

The man looked at him with clear distrust, but gave a sigh, before uttering one sentence. 'You've been bailed out.'

Eggman just sat there, his mouth agape, stunned into silence for the first time in his life. He... was free? 'Who?' He asked, finally finding his voice.

The soldier shrugged. 'Some metal thing, I don't know. Just come with me.'

Eggman followed behind the soldier and was led down a maze of thick stone corridors, before finally being taken up some steps and out into the open. Eggman was clad in his own clothes; not the fluorescent orange ones more petty criminals wore. No, for some reason, Eggman had been allowed to keep his clothes, although they were in a need of a thorough scrub. Eggman followed the soldier into a white room, before the door was closed behind them both. The soldier then indicated for Eggman to go ahead, while he stayed behind, watching. Eggman was curious as to who had bailed him out of jail – and it definitely _wasn't_ a small price to pay. Eggman had heard his bail price was somewhere along the tens of millions of rings. Tens of _millions!_ Who had that sort of money that was willing to bail him out? Eggman could think of no one.

As the next door snapped shut behind the round, bald man, Eggman stopped in his tracks. A dark blue metal figure was standing with his black eyes on the man, his arms folded over his cold chest.

Eggman stared at the figure. 'M-Metal Sonic?' He stuttered, blinking back his shock.

Metal Sonic inclined his head. 'Hello, Doctor,' he said, in his strange, robotic voice.

'Why?' Was all Eggman asked.

Metal Sonic shrugged. 'I figured you were the person most likely to succeed in taking over the world, and with me at your side, you couldn't exactly _fail._ So, I stole some money from several banks and bailed you out.'

Eggman shook his head. 'But I deactivated you! How could you be here?'

Metal Sonic gave his mechanical version of a smirk. 'You didn't do a very good job. Or unless you'd forgotten, my body automatically repairs and reboots after a while, unless I am completely destroyed. I then got myself improved. Stronger, denser alloys, and much tougher wires. I'm now stronger, faster _and_ more resistant to attacks.'

Eggman nodded. 'Well, we ought to get going. I must warn you, though, I'm going to be back here, breaking my wife and son out of jail, too.'

Metal Sonic shrugged. 'I don't care what you do, as long as you fight to take over the world as hard as you once did.'

Eggman smirked and nodded, before they both left Prison Island on the small ship in which Metal had arrived. _Finally,_ Eggman thought with a vicious grin, _I can put my ultimate plan into action._


	2. DNA Acquired

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Sonic the Hedgehog characters.**

**DNA Acquired:**

Eggman got to work straight away. He ordered his two main helper robots, Decoe and Bocoe to break into a nearby science lab and grab some peptide hydrogel, which was developed for the specific purposes of growing cells quickly.

'And make sure you get lots of it. I'm going to go and get some DNA.' Eggman ordered.

'What do you need DNA and special gel for, Doctor?' Decoe asked.

Eggman glared at him. 'Do not ask me questions right now!' He snapped. 'All in good time, my boys, all in good time.' This was added more calmly. The two robots did a weird solute, before leaving. Metal Sonic was watching from the shadows, but Eggman knew this. 'You're curious, aren't you, Metal?' Eggman asked, turning to his comrade.

The robot nodded, not moving. 'I believe I should know, too. After all, it was me who broke you out of jail.'

A vicious grin spread over Eggman's face. 'I plan to make another Ultimate Lifeform. One built off altered DNA from one of Shadow's friends. I am off to get this DNA. Feel free to join me, or you can stay here. I don't care which.'

Metal shook his head. 'I'll stay and make sure no one breaks in while you're gone.'

Eggman nodded. 'Good man.' Then he left.

**...**

Many hours later, Decoe and Bocoe returned, pulling a large bag full of the peptide hydrogel between them. Eggman was still gone, although Metal Sonic didn't expect him back for some time – the man was one hell of a klutz, and not exactly light on his feet. Chances are he'd be caught, although this could be to his benefit. Metal helped the two robots with the gel, moving it inside the doctor's large computer room/science lab. The room could be either or both, if needed. As they dropped it in the corner of the room, Eggman suddenly blundered in, grasping a test tube tightly. He was wearing a victorious smirk.

Metal narrowed his eyes at the test tube, not being able to see anything inside it. 'You have any luck, Doctor?' He asked.

Eggman rolled his eyes. 'Would I be grinning like this if I didn't?' Eggman suddenly sighed contentedly, before placing the tube in a test tube rack, among a few others, although these were empty. 'I managed to get some fur off of Sonic himself.'

Metal would have raised his eyebrows, if he could. As it happened, he merely looked evenly at his temporary ally. Metal had been planning this all along – become re-allied with Dr Eggman, work together to find the most dangerous weapon possible, then dispose of the blundering, fat man. Of course, Eggman would never _know_ this. At least, not until he was about thirty seconds from death. 'I'm impressed, Doctor.' He admitted, albeit rather reluctantly. The machine was not known for giving compliments.

Eggman grinned. 'I see you got the gel. Good. Now, you must all leave me, this is delicate work, and I mustn't be disturbed.'

They three robots nodded, before leaving. Eggman then turned to one of his higher power microscopes and placed the small piece of blue fur under the lens. Eggman put his eyes to the microscope, and began the agonisingly accurate process of altering the blue hero's DNA. It should have been an easy task, taking only an hour or two, but Eggman had not done this before, so it took him well over seven hours to do, by which time his back was stiff and it was close to midnight. The man flopped backwards in his chair, exhausted and relieved it was _finally_ done.

**...**

The next morning Eggman woke in his chair. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, but, ah well. Eggman got out of his chair and carefully took the cell of altered DNA from Sonic the Hedgehog and placed it in a long, thin tube with a green glass casing. It was full of the peptide hydrogel already, courtesy of the man's efforts before he fell asleep. Eggman gently placed the cell in the centre of the gel and sealed it up tightly. If all went well, it would be a full-grown Mobian in just 72 hours. Eggman looked smugly down at his work, before leaving. He was now hungry, and breakfast was already cooking.

Upon entering the room, Eggman saw Decoe, Bocoe and Metal Sonic standing in the room. Obviously they weren't eating – they were machines, after all – but they were conversing calmly, and quietly. Their conversation stopped when the evil genius walked in, before they began a new one, with him included. As Eggman ate, he revealed his plan to Decoe and Bocoe, both of whom became immensely excited by the fact. They rambled for several minutes about how smart the doctor was, until Metal snapped at them to shut up. Eggman chuckled, slightly missing the machine's curt attitude, which he knew made no sense, but there it was. Eggman, now finished with his rather large portion of fried eggs, bacon, sausages and battered mushrooms, leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head.

The sudden blaring of alarms brought their attention to the screens above them, showing security camera footage. Sonic's team were trying to break in. Eggman growled under his breath. 'Damn! I was hoping they wouldn't do anything.'

Metal glared at Eggman. 'What did you do?' He asked, anger in his robotic tone.

Eggman shrugged. 'Nothing specific. That orange fox might have seen me as I left, though.'

Metal sighed, before he, Bocoe and Decoe shot off towards the entrance to fight off the intruders. Eggman, not one to fight, retreated to his lab, where he was surprised to see the cell had grown into visible dot already. Eggman turned on his security feed and watched with glee as the Sonic team were forced back. Shadow looked directly up at one of the cameras and scowled, before turning on his heels and skating off.

Eggman suddenly had another idea. 'It'll need special boots!' He then bustled around and began making some personalised boots for his creation.

**Hey there! This isn't my first Sonic fic, but it's my first that's not a romance... (should I be worried?)****Anyway, I would really appreciate it if you told me what you think. You can't improve without advice, right?**


	3. Welcome to Mobius

**Disclaimer: I only own Nightshade, the rest belong to SEGA.**

**Welcome to Mobius:**

The base remained untouched by the Sonic team for the next couple of days. Eggman checked in on his growing Mobian every hour or two, only to find it significantly bigger each time. Today was the day it was to be released, and it was the size of a teenaged Mobian.

To Eggman's surprise, it had become female. The girl had very dark purple fur and bright blue highlights – the same blue as Sonic. She had grown up in a foetal position, and was curled around herself. The girl was a hedgehog, and had a selection of five quills poking out of the back of her head, and another one in front of her left eye. It was shorter than the rest, and finished at the end on her chin. The girl had cream arms the same colour as her muzzle, and had two quills jutting out behind her shoulders. She looked remarkably like Sonic and Shadow, despite the fact the DNA had been altered. Eggman had ordered everyone to gather for the opening, and made absolutely sure they were all looking at the green tube. Eggman pressed the release button, and the lid of the tube flew off, smashing into thousands of little green pieces when it landed. The hedgehog in the gel stirred, before slowly opening her eyes. They were bright red. Eggman was startled by the fierceness of her eyes, the way they seemed to penetrate your soul the moment your eyes met them directly.

She sat up, grimacing at the gel that clung to her dark fur, before looking around. 'Where am I? What is this place?' She asked, in a voice that was unusually melodic.

Eggman stepped forward. 'My name is Dr Eggman, and these are Decoe, Bocoe and Metal Sonic. You are in my base, and I have created you.'

The girl blinked a couple of times. 'Created me? What do you mean?'

Eggman hesitated, before answering truthfully. 'You were grown from a single cell inside that tube. You matured to this size in just three days. It was my experiment that managed to create you.'

The girl seemed to accept this. 'Alright, Eggman. Next question: what's _my_ name?'

Eggman shrugged. 'You don't yet have one. You can chose your own name.'

The girl grew nervous. 'I'd rather someone else thought of one. I'm not particularly good at coming up with names, as far as I'm aware.'

'What about Belle?' Decoe suggested. The hedgehog grimaced again and shook her head.

'Petunia?' Bocoe asked.

Another shake of her head. 'Nothing so... innocent. They seem too harmless.'

'How about Nightshade?' Metal offered nonchalantly.

The hedgehog considered this, before a smile formed on her face. 'I like it.'

'Well then, Nightshade, it would seem I have some explaining to do.' Eggman said, folding his arms.

Nightshade held up a hand. 'I have one request first.'

'Yes?'

'Clothes.' Was all she said.

Eggman smiled and picked up some clothes he'd stolen from a nearby shop. Nightshade took them and glanced at them once, before pulling on the black mini skirt and light blue tank top. Nightshade then shook the rest of the sticky gel out of her fur. Eggman then presented Nightshade with a cardboard box. 'Here, some personalised hover boots.'

Nightshade opened the box and peeked inside, before her face lit up. 'Oh, these are awesome!' She cried happily, quickly tugging them onto her feet. The boots had two inch heels, and were coloured white, blue and black. 'Right,' she said, looking at Eggman directly and smirking when the man actually cowered under the weight of her stare. 'So, what do you need to tell me?'

Eggman tilted his head to the side. 'How do you feel about... evil?' He asked slowly.

Nightshade shrugged. 'Good or evil, I don't really care. I just like fighting things.'

Eggman grinned. 'Excellent. Well, I'll start at the basics. As you know, my name is Dr Eggman, and I want to take over the world for my Eggman Empire. The only problem is, there's a team of goody-two-shoes that keep stopping me. They actually put me in prison not too long ago, although Metal here bailed me out. I'm a genius scientist and most of my allies are robots. In fact, you're my first living one for some time.'

'Who was your last?' Nightshade asked, puzzled.

'His name is Shadow. Actually, your creation was inspired by him. He was grown much like you were, only in space and by my grandfather.' Eggman explained.

'Why'd he leave?' Nightshade frowned.

Eggman shrugged. 'I don't know. Something to do with fulfilling a promise to a lost friend, I think.'

Nightshade was suddenly filled with sympathy. _Oh, that must have been terrible. _Nightshade kept her inner feelings hidden, and glanced around, feeling a strange sensation start in her body. 'Don't happen to have a training room, do you?'

Eggman smirked to himself, and nodded, before leading the way down the corridor. 'I guess it would be a good idea to find out what your powers are,' he admitted.

Nightshade just nodded as she followed the round man down the corridors. They went down several flights of stairs before finally appearing in a large cube room. There was training equipment scattered everywhere. Targets, a terrain course and a few sack dummies. There are also lots of training robots.

Nightshade frowned upon entering. 'This looks a little strange.'

Eggman awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. 'Well, it's usually used for robots to train.' He admitted.

Nightshade shrugged. 'Never mind, it'll do. Let's train!' The purple hedgehog bounded into the middle of the room, before waiting rather impatiently for Eggman to power up his training bots.

**Would you call that a cliff-hangar? I'm not really sure. Ah, well. In the next chapter I want to be able to reveal Nightshade's special power (nothing too drastic) and could use some ideas. I've already got the power to interrupt electrical currents and a weak sort of hypnosis. Any other ideas would be massively appreciated, although I might have some unexpected brainwave (unlikely, but a girl can dream, right?). Thanks, and please let me know what you think!**


	4. Power

**Power:**

Nightshade felt a grin stretch over her face as soon as half a dozen training bots walked into her path. None of them attacked, causing Nightshade to glance up at Eggman questioningly.

'I want to see how you destroy them while they aren't attacking you first,' the man explained.

Nightshade sighed, but launched herself off her feet, performing a quick homing attack on two of the robots. She then ran up to the other four and a swipe of her legs took them out at once, but then her hover boots activated, and Nightshade lost her balance, startled by the suddenly lift. 'What was that?' She demanded, glaring up at Eggman.

He gave a nervous laugh. 'I guess I forgot about that.' He sighed, leaning back even further in his chair. 'What happens is those boots will activate once you reach a particular speed. You'll then have to execute a certain... _skating_ motion to get faster.'

Nightshade didn't exactly understand the words, but nodded determinedly. She went over to the terrain area and began running in a large circle. As soon as the hover boots activated, Nightshade got to work with "skating". She fell over. She tried again, with no more luck. Nightshade growled as she jumped to her feet, before launching into a sprint once more. This time, she got the technique right, and began gaining more and more speed. In just three seconds she was a blue and purple blur, whizzing around her little circle over and over. A grin stretched over Nightshade's face once more, before she came to a neat and abrupt stop. 'Ha! Cool.'

Eggman looked impressed. 'Well done, Nightshade. You picked that up pretty quickly.'

Nightshade shrugged. 'Whatever. Throw something more challenging at me.'

Eggman chuckled at her impatience, before getting three of his weaker battle mechs to train with her. They were stocked with paint balls for the purposes of training, which he knew Nightshade would not be particularly happy about. They all aimed at Nightshade and tried to keep up with her movements, but the female was too quick. Within fifteen seconds, all of them were in pieces. Nightshade sighed.

Eggman looked down at his young apprentice. 'You seem capable,' he commented dully. Nightshade growled at the word "capable". She was a whole lot better than that, and she would prove it.

As Eggman ordered more of his robots to attack her, Nightshade got a feel of her powers. She knew there was _something_ there, she just wasn't quite sure what yet. She closed her eyes and concentrated solely on that power, knowing it would do something to stop the robots. Suddenly there was something buzzing in her hand, and Nightshade opened her eyes to find a blue sword in her hand. It seemed to be purely electrical, hence the buzzing. Nightshade grinned, before launching herself at the robots, sawing them in half and ignoring the spray of sparks that was sent her way each time. In just seven seconds, they were all in pieces on the floor.

Nightshade smirked up at Eggman, before running out the door, quickly activating her hover boots. The girl shot through the corridors and soon found herself by the massive door that was barring the entrance. Nightshade quickly hacked into the control panel, and the door slowly lowered down. Nightshade stepped outside and sat down on the soft grass, the long blades tickling at her legs and feet. For a while, Nightshade just stared at the sky, admiring the stars that seemed to light up the planet. Eventually, though, she got bored, so stood and walked back inside. After several minutes, Nightshade came across a bedroom. Her name was etched into the door, so she went inside without hesitation. The room inside had deep burgundy walls and there was only one window, which was actually quite large. The window was framed by deep black curtains. On the floor was a creamy coloured carpet. The bed and all the furniture was made entirely of specially cut mahogany. Nightshade smirked. _Too much, maybe?_ Still, she jumped on her bed and covered herself with the thick, white duvet. The mattress sunk down where she lay and held her closely in position. Humph_, memory foam. Typical._ Not that she could complain, it was a very comfortable mattress. Before long, the purple hedgehog fell asleep. That night, she experienced her first ever dream.

_~Dream~_

_The world around her was red and hot. The sky was bleak. Nightshade was walking through a city that was burning, apparently not caring what she did. She was used to the chaos, the destruction and the heat that never died down. From her position on top of a crumbling building, Nightshade watched as a familiar white figure flew over the city. He had come to her once, asking about the flames. Nightshade had not told him what he wanted to know, but she herself didn't know what had happened. Not properly. She'd heard stories when she was young, but she didn't know the whole truth. His name was Silver. As she watched, Nightshade saw him use his Psychokinesis to stop the formation of a tornado of flames. Then he continued as if nothing had happened. Nightshade moved to the very edge of the building so she could continue to track his movements. Something whizzed past her and jumped over the edge of the roof. Nightshade felt her gaze drift downwards, before she saw a pale purple cat skipping and hopping from building to building, towards Silver._

_'Silver!' She called, her voice faint and distant._

_'Blaze?' Silver turned her way. 'What wrong?'_

_'He's appeared again!'_

_Silver didn't need anything more than that. He shot past Nightshade and soon after, Blaze followed. Neither of them saw her, because she remained submerged in what little shadow there was. No, Nightshade had a mission, one that could put her on the higher part of the "Most Wanted" list. As a promise to her long-lost brother, she had to free an old friend in this time._

_Nightshade hopped down from the building onto one ten metres lower, before launching into a sprint. Before long, her old hover boots activated, and she drifted a few inches off the ground. Nightshade then became a fast-moving blur, streaking across half the city in under a minute. Nightshade avoided the flames wherever she went, sometimes having to quickly dodge out the way as a fireball was shot at her._

_Nightshade came across a black stone building. Grade 1 Prison. The prison for the most dangerous enemies, who were often put into suspended animation for a long time. Her target was inside. Nightshade summoned a small electrical knife, before throwing it at the door. It was rumoured no one could get inside without a pass, but one shot of electricity killed it dead. The door swung open just as alarms started blaring. Nightshade flew inside, ducking behind a wall every now and the to let a guard go past her, unaware of her presence. Nightshade quickly made it down to the heavily guarded cells, but managed to knock all the necessary guards unconscious._

_Nightshade slipped into a cell, and saw the black form inside a glowing pod, held by his arms and legs, forced into a sleep that shut down most of his body. Including his memory, if what she'd heard was correct. Then again, she'd also heard that some people retained their memories. Nightshade quickly got to work on the pod, putting her expertise in computer hacking to work. Within two minutes, the pod opened, and the black hedgehog slumped forward. Nightshade caught him and held him steady, until he could stand for himself._

_The hedgehog turned his blazing red eyes towards Nightshade, and they seemed to soften somewhat. 'Nightshade?'_

_Nightshade gave a tiny smile and nodded. 'Hello again, Shadow.'_


	5. Who am I, really?

**Who am I, really?:**

Nightshade's eyes opened to find her room still dark. She could see that sunlight was trying to get through her dark curtains, but wasn't having much success. Nightshade slowly climbed out of bed, forcing her tired muscles to move, and walked sluggishly over to the curtains. She drew them back, and the sudden harshness of the light that hit her face caused her to look quickly away and blink. Well, at least she was wide awake now. Nightshade went back to her bed and, after straightening out the covers, sat on the edge of the mattress. She put her head in her hands and thought. _What was that dream? Did it mean anything? And who are Shadow, Silver and Blaze? Do they even exist?_ The more she thought, the more frustrated she got. All she had were questions; no answers.

Eventually, before she went mad, Nightshade threw all her questions to the back of her mind and stood up. She would get answers to them later. Walking along the maze of a base, it took Nightshade several minutes to find Eggman, who was in his office, typing away at his computer. Nightshade cleared her throat as she entered, getting the fat man's attention.

'Ah, Nightshade, good. Think you could do me a favour?'

Nightshade shrugged. 'Depends what it is.'

Eggman sighed, before pulling out a glowing blue gem. Nightshade raised an eyebrow at the sight of it. 'What's that?' She asked, reaching for it.

Eggman reluctantly passed it to her, but watched her very closely as she examined it. 'It's called a Chaos Emerald. There are seven in total. I need them complete my newest machine, and I want you to go and get them.'

Nightshade sighed. 'How dull. Can't a fight anyone?' She moaned.

Eggman chuckled. 'You will have to eventually. Three of the Emeralds are held by Sonic and his team; my enemies. They won't give theirs up without a fight, you can count on that.'

Nightshade perked up immediately. 'Excellent! Alright, Eggman, you've got a deal.'

Eggman nodded, satisfied. 'Good. The Chaos Emeralds send out signals to one another. Use that one to find the locations of the rest. Don't come back until you have them all, and watch yourself out there.'

Nightshade nodded and tucked the blue Emerald away, before leaving the room and trying to find the entrance again. Eventually she found it, and punched in the code she'd worked out the night before – 3785. The door slowly lowered, and Nightshade saw daylight directly for the first time in her life. The land around her was beautiful. There were trees, flowers, bushes and wild animals everywhere. The sun made everything just that much more astonishing to see. Nightshade pulled out the Chaos Emerald and got a brief feel from it. She felt it tugging her towards the south-east, so began walking that way.

Before long, the line of trees ended, and Nightshade found herself facing a large, bustling city. She – somehow – recognised it immediately. Soleanna. Nightshade had a feeling it was somehow related to the dream she'd had, but had no idea how. Either way, she ran down towards the city. Pausing at the top of a hill, Nightshade watched in surprise as two streaks – one blue and one black – came towards her. Nightshade only just managed to jump behing a bush, before the two came to a stop right next to her.

'Ha! I win, Shadow!' _Shadow!?_

The black hedgehog in question scowled and crossed his arms. 'Not a chance, faker. I won.'

Nightshade rolled her eyes at their toing-and-froing. _Why can't they just agree to disagree and get it over with?_

The purple hedgehog then spied a glowing green gem amongst the black and red quills of Shadow, who, she finally decided, _was_ the one from her dream. Nightshade suddenly popped out of her hiding space, although it was sometime before either of them noticed her.

'Whoa!' The blue one cried. 'Who are you?'

Nightshade didn't smile. 'My name is Nightshade. And you are?'

'Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog.' The blue one answered. 'Say, you look an awful lot like us.'

Nightshade looked them both over. He wasn't wrong. Though the two males had six qills and she only had five, the style was similar. Nightshade shared Shadow's eye colour and Sonic's fur was the same shade as her highlights. Finally, Nightshade's eyes rested on Shadow's boots, before she frowned. 'Hey, you have the exact same shoes as me,' she said.

Shadow's eyes drfited down to her shoes, before growling. 'Where did you get those?' He asked.

Nightshade shruged. 'A... friend of mine gave them to me. They're pretty awesome.'

Shadow snorted. 'I've known that for some time.'

Nightshade rolled eyes. 'Whatever. You have something I need.'

Shadow raised an uncaring eyebrow. 'Oh?'

Nightshade pulled out her blue Chaos Emerlad. 'I believe you possess one of these.'

Sonic narrowed his eyes. 'Why do you need them?'

Nightshade shrugged. '_I_ don't. An associate of mine asked me to get them all.'

Sonic narrowed his eyes. 'Who?'

Nightshade briefly considered not answering, but then remembered who these people were to Eggman, and realised that telling the truth would get her a fight. 'Dr Eggman.'

The reaction was instantaeous. Both hedgehogs got into fighting positions and glared at her. Nightshade gave them an amused smirk. 'Well, you can tell Egghead that he's not getting them.' Sonic stated cockily.

Nightshade summoned an electrical sword in her right hand, while tucking her Chaos Emerald away. 'I wouldn't do that if I were you,' she said, giving them an evil grin.

Sonic shivered, but quickly recovered. 'There's no way you can beat both the Hero fo Mobius _and_ the Ultimate Lifeform together.'

Nightshade suddenly froze. _The Ultimate Lifeform. Sonic the hedghog._ Tears suddenly appeared in her eyes as she took a staggered step back, her sword disappearing. 'It was _you?_' She questioned. 'Both of you. You're...'

They looked strangely at her, both straightening out of their offensive positions. 'What are you talking about, Nightshade?' Sonic asked, frowning.

Shadow glared at Nightshade when she didn't reply. 'Well?' He demanded harshly.

Nightshade shook her head. 'I have to go right now.' Then she spun around and shot off towards Eggman's base. She didn't give a damn about his orders not to come back until she had all seven Chaos Emeralds. She needed answers, and that man was going to give them to her.


	6. The Truth

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or anyone like that. Nightshade is the only person I own.**

**The Truth:**

Nightshade barged into Eggman's office, making the scientist jump. He glared at her. 'What are you doing here so soon? I thought I said-'

'I don't care what you said!' Nightshade snarled. 'Tell me what I want to know and _then_ I'll find your gaddamn Chaos Emeralds.'

Eggman sighed. 'Fine, what do you want to know?'

Nightshade folded her arms over her chest and glared. 'Sonic and Shadow, who are they? I know they are important, just tell me how.'

'Shadow is the Ultimate Lifeform, as you know, and the one who inspired me to make you. He was created on Space Colony ARK by my grandfather. Sonic was the one from who's DNA you were grown.' Eggman answered nonchalantly.

Nightshade nodded, before running out again. That would have to do, for now, until she had more questions.

Nightshade returned to the hill, and was surprised to find Shadow and Sonic still there, bickering again.

Nightshade sighed. She ran directly past Shadow and snatched his Chaos Emerald from within his quills, causing him to whir around. He glared at her. 'I see you're back,' he stated coldly. 'Mind explaining what that was about?'

Nightshade shrugged, putting her Emerald away with her own. 'I just needed some answers to my questions.'

Sonic snorted. 'I doubt Eggman would let you ask him questions if he'd ordered you to find the Chaos Emeralds.'

Nightshade smirked. 'I used that order as leveridge.'

'So, what did you find out?' Sonic asked.

Nightshade narrowed her eyes at him. 'Why do you care?'

Shadow rolled his eyes, while Sonic shrugged. 'I'm just curious, I guess,' the blue hero replied.

Nightshade sighed, her arms falling limp by her side. She turned away from them both, but she could tell neither of them were making any movement towards the Emeralds. 'I discovered that my creation was inspired by Shadow's. That Eggman decided to make his own biological creation, and that was me. I also found out that he stole someone's DNA and altered it to make me.' She turned around again, her eyes hard and cold. 'I found out that was you, Sonic.'

Sonic started choking on air. Shadow whacked him across the back, sending him flying into the ground. Nightshade, despite herself, laughed. Sonic got shakily to his feet. 'You mean, what Tails saw the other day was actually Eggman _taking my DNA?_'

Nightshade shrugged. 'How should I know? I didn't even exist then.'

Shadow was staring wide-eyed at Nightshade. 'So, you're some kind of Ultimate Lifeform?' He questioned.

Nightshade shook her head. 'Eggman may think so, but I don't. There'll only ever be one.'

Shadow blinked in surprise, before smirking. 'True.'

Nightshade just rolled her eyes. 'Hang on,' Sonic interjected. 'If you were grown from my DNA, would that make us related?'

Nightshade narrowed her eyes in thought. In truth, siblings didn't have exactly the same DNA, but they came from the same place, so that would mean... 'Yes, I think so. It would make you my brother.'

Sonic started swaying, before quickly regaining his balance. 'But, why are you fighting with Eggman?' He asked quietly.

Nightshade sighed. 'It's complicated. Since Eggman was the one who created me, I owe him my alliegance, right?'

Shadow suddenly spoke up. 'But that means you're going against the only family you have.'

Nightshade suddenly chuckled. 'Oh, I don't really care about that. I just lke fighting things. Especially if they pose some sort of challenge. Which reminds me; I appear to have avoided a fight with you two. Ah well, can't have everything in life, right?' Then she spun around and darted across the city of Soleanna, not realising for the first few econds that Sonic and Shadow were hot on her heels. Nightshade grinned, pushing herself and her shoes as fast as possible. _Alright then, let's do this!_

They were racing along for miles, beyond the boundries of the city and out into the open countryside. Nightshade was once again struck by how beautiful everything was, but this didn't make her slow down. Nightshade suddenly came to a stop and jumped up as Shadow and Sonic continued running, not expecting her move. Nightshade landed just as they spun around and faced her, Shadow scowling, Sonic grinning.

'You're fast,' Sonic commented.

Nightshade smirked. 'Courtesy of these shoes, I think you'll find.'

'You still have something of ours that we want back.' Shadow growled.

Nightshade rolled her eyes. 'Yeah, yeah. Unfortunately for you, I don't feel like giving them back.'

Shadow narrowed his eyes, before lunging at Nightshade. Nightshade jumped out of the way and kicked him in the back. Sonic suddenly landed on her, but she threw him to the grond. Nightshade ducked as Shadow went to punch her, before spinning around and knocking both hedgehogs down at once. Nightshade grinned. Boy was she loving this! Sonic jumped up and aimed a homing attack at her, but she moved out of the way, so Sonic actually ended up attacking Shadow. Shadow growled at Sonic, who just looked guiltily back. Nightshade took this quick distraction as a chance to summon her electrical weapons. She formed a small ball of electricity and sent it flying towards Sonic and Shadow. Shadow jumped out of the way, but the ball hit Sonic it the chest. The hedgehog gasped and fell to the ground, spasming a little. After a few seconds it wore off, and Sonic got weakly to his feet. Shadow glared at Nightshade and lunged at her again. While Nightshade defended herself from his attacks, she felt one of the Chaos Emeralds disappearing from her quills. She whirled around to find the blue one in the dark hedgehog's hand. She narrowed her eyes at the smirking Ultimate Lifeform.

Shadow raised his hand and shouted 'Chaos Control!' He vanished. Nightshade didn't know where he'd gotten to, so turned to fight Sonic again, only to find herself face-to-face with the black hedgehog. Nightshade glared at him, before pulling her own Chaos Emerald out.

'Choas Control!' She shouted, before she vanished into thin air. Nightshade reapeared by Sonic's side, and quickly threw a kick at the blue hero's head, knocking him out cold.

Shadow looked at her in surprise. 'You can use a Chaos Emerald.' He said. It wasn't a question, but sounded like it should be.

Nightshade nodded. 'It would seem so.' She glanced down at Sonic, before remembering her dream. _Sonic had asked me to rescue Shadow. Why?_

Shadow watched the purple and blue hedgehog closely while her eyes were on her brother. 'Not many people can do that,' Shadow said quietly.

Nightshade nodded. She looked down at the glowing green gem in her hand, before muttering 'Choas Control' under her breath. She appeared by Shadow's side, snatched the blue Emerald back, before Chaos Controlling away again. This time, she appeared on top of the hill overlooking Soleanna. Nightshade sighed. 'It would seem this is going to take a while.'

**Ack, battle scene! Am I any good? It felt a little rushed and short, but what do I know? As always, please let me know what you think!**


	7. Searching for the Chaos Emeralds

**Disclaimer: The usual, I don't own anyone except Nightshade (at this point, at least).**

**Searching for the Chaos Emeralds:**

Nightshade followed the pull she got from the Chaos Emeralds for many hours. She was going at a slow pace, not wanting to somehow miss the Emerald, so it was night by the time she made it to the next town. This one she didn't recognise, but she quickly found a sheltered roof to sleep for the night. After curling up in a foetal position, the purple hedgehog closed her eyes and slipped into a deep sleep, ignoring the cold wind rustling around her quills.

...

Shadow and Sonic were working together – much to the black hedgehog's annoyance – to find Nightshade and take at least their Chaos Emerald back. They'd made it to the next town along at about midnight, and were now looking over the area for the sign of a purple figure. Shadow's eyes drifted slowly over the rooftops, while Sonic was scanning the streets.

Shadow suddenly saw a shadow on the roof of a sheltered buildnig, and nudged Sonic to get his attention. The blue hedgehog followed Shadow's gaze, before nodding. The both ran up to the building and quickly climbed on to the roof. As expected, Nightshade was sleeping there, curled into a tiny ball. There was a slight frown on her face, and her breathing was quick and shallow. Before they could take another step, Nightshade's eyes snapped open. They were full of tears, and the purple hedgehog was shaking. Nightshade ignored her two visitors, although she knew they were there. She was focusing on regaining control of herself.

Nightshade closed her eyes, deliberately forcing her breathing to become normal again. Once this happened, she got to her feet and jumped over the edge of the building. Shadow and Sonic, after getting over their initial shock, ran to the roof's edge and peered down. Nightshade was nowhere to be seen. They both looked around for her, but she had vanished. Shadow growled under his breath, but Sonic jjust looked thoughtful.

'Is it really worth going after this one Chaos Emerald?' Sonic asked. 'I know she's working for Eggman, but we've got two more at home with Tails. If we're chasing after her, we might not be able to protect the others from her grasp.'

Shadow sighed. 'I hate to admit this, faker, but you're right.'

Sonic nodded, and the two turned on their heels. They ran at full speed towards Tails' home, intending to stay there until the threat had passed. Little did they know, Nightshade was following closely behind.

...

Nightshade crouched by a tree, the loud crash of water on rock masking the sound she madee as she ran. She had followed Shadow and Sonic back to a large house that she was sure continued into the ground. No doubt this was where at least one more Chaos Emerald was. As Nightshade jumped across the river, the door to the house opened, and she had to quickly dart behind a boulder jutting out of the uneven ground. _That was way too close._ A pink hedgehog was dancing along the grass, humming to herself. She sung a tune Nightshade didn't recognise, but the melody was nice enough. As soon as the little hedgehog had passed, Nightshade ran up to the house and crouched beneath an open window, listening to the conversation going on inside.

'Hey guys, what's up?' A boy's voice asked.

'We need to stay here for a while, Tails, to protect the Chaos Emeralds you have. Eggman's got a new ally, and she's after all seven of them. She already managed to get one of them off us.' Sonic said.

'Huh? How'd she manage that?' Tails asked.

Nightshade heard Shadow grunt, before Sonic answered for them. 'She caught us off guard, that's all. After that, we couldn't catch her, because she can run as fast as us. And she can fight, too. She has this weird power, like electrical control, or something.' Nightshade heard the hero shudder. 'I never want to experience that again.'

'Wait, she has _electrical_ powers? You mean, she can manipulate electricity?' Tails asked, astounded.

'I dunno, something like that.'

Nightshade heard the three of them walk off, before she dared to look into the room. It was empty, so Nightshade climbed in through the window. She got about five steps before the front door was blown open. Nightshade whirled around to see a familiar pink hedgehog looking very red in the face and grasping a large hammer. The hedgehog growled at Nightshade and launched at her, smashing the hammer down. Nightshade darted out the way and quickly formed small electrical gloves around her hands, just in case she needed them.

'Who are you?!' The girl demanded.

Before Nightshade could answer, Sonic, Shadow and a two tailed orange fox – who she assumed was Tails – came running up the stairs. 'Amy, what are you doing to my house?!' The fox cried. Then he saw Nightshade.

'Back so soon?' Nightshade taunted, causing Shadow to growl and Sonic to frown.

'Not soon enough,' the black hedgehog grumbled.

Nightshade smirked. 'So it would seem, otherwise I wouldn't know where two of your Chaos Emeralds are. I'll be back soon, when I don't have an angry pink girl with a giant hammer after me.'

'Why you little!' Amy growled, before lunging forward.

'Amy, don't!' Sonic cried, but he was too late.

Nightshade's hand gripped Amy's wrist, meaning the pink hedgehog's wrist and arm got the full force of Nightshade's power. She started spasming and let go immediately, having to lean on her hammer to stop herself falling over. Nightshade smirked as she stepped towards the window. 'Foolish girl,' she sneered. 'See you guys later!' Then she jumped through the window and ran as fast as she could along the length of the river. She would be back, that was for sure. Tonight, when hopefully their tiredness would affect their ability to guard thier precious Chaos Emeralds.

...

Nightshade crept down the stairs of Tail's house, as silent as a breath of wind. She came across a giant room, full off all sorts of defence mechanisms. There were several types of lasers, moving and not moving, pressure plates and no doubt alarms, too. Nightshade knew only a fool would face this defence head-on, but Nightshade was no fool. She'd seen a weakness almost immediately. In one corner of the room was a red plane, and there were no lasers leading up to it.

Nightshade ran up to the plane, jumped on top of it, and then ran across the length of its body. In doing so she skipped five or six sets of lasers. Another was in front of her. Nightshade jumped into the centre of the laser crowd, and did a smooth backwards flick** (it's a gymnastics move - a backflip with hands on the floor)** between some, quickly getting past the last set of lasers. Next were the pressure plates, which, while still not a walk in the park, were far easier to manoeuver around than the lasers had been. Nightshade grinned when she realised she had reached the end of the room unharmed and without setting off a single alarm. In the next room she saw two Chaos Emeralds placed next to each other on a tall pedestal. A cyan one and a grey/white one. After stepping towards them, Nightshade found her path blocked by a familiar figure.

Nightshade sighed. 'You really don't want me to get these Emeralds, do you?'

Shadow smirked. 'I know what Eggman'll want to do with them. And since that could cause the end of the world, you can't exactly blame me for protecting them.'

Nightshade got into a battle stance, and Shadow copied a second later. 'Might as well get this over with, eh, Shads?'

Shadow growled, before springing towards her.


	8. Torture

**Disclaimer: I own Nightshade only.**

**Torture:**

Nightshade quickly dodged Shadow's attack, before spinning around and aiming a punch at his head. Shadow, however, caught hold of her fist and stopped it. Nightshade growled, before ducking down and swiping Shadow's legs out from underneath him. Shadow fell onto his back, but was on his feet again in seconds, throwing punches at Nightshade with incredible speed. Nightshade managed to dodge the first few, but one of them caught her stomach, and she found herself flying backwards. The purple hedgehog hit the wall heavily, the wind being knocked out of her in the process.

Nightshade just about managed to regain control of her breathing, thus allowing her to move, before Shadow sent his fist flying towards her. His hand hit the wall, the noise echoing around the room. Nightshade gave a small wince. _That sounded like it hurt._ Still, she grabbed her Chaos Emerald and shouted 'Chaos Control!' just as Shadow went to attack her again. His movements slowed, and Nightshade did a neat twist before kicking the back of his head and sending his sprawling to the ground.

'Uh, deja vu,' he grumbled. Shadow swiftly got to his feet and jumped over Nightshade's body as she launched herself at him. Nightshade spun around just in time to see Shadow pick up a Chaos Emerald from the pedestal.

Both hedgehogs shouted 'Chaos Control!' at the same time, and their close proximity caused a swirling blue portal to appear beside them. Nightshade looked at it in confusion, and Shadow, taking advantage of her distracted state, lunged at her and tackled her to the ground. Nightshade gave a frustrated growl, before kicking him off her and sending him flying into the wall. Using the power of the Chaos Emerald, Nightshade vanished and reappeared by Shadow's side, where she just about managed to grab his Emerald. Shadow aimed a hit at her head, but Nightshade ducked, once again swinging her legs around and using them to put him on the floor.

'Hmm, you really aren't good at avoiding those, are you?' Nightshade taunted as she ran up to the pedestal and grabbed the second Chaos Emerald, before tucking two of them in her quills. 'Why did you leave Eggman?' She asked.

Shadow froze, not expecting her to know or ask about such a thing. 'I was going against a promise to a sister of mine.' He said, harshly but quietly.

Nightshade tilted her head to the side. 'Then why be allied with him at all?'

Shadow sighed. 'I didn't remember. I knew my name, and _her_ name, and that was it. I knew nothing else about myself.'

Nightshade gave him a sympathetic look, before Chaos Controlling outside the house. She ran at full speed to Eggman's base, and quickly darted inside. She went directly to Eggman's office.

Eggman turned and sighed when he saw her again. 'What now?' He huffed.

Nightshade glared at him, making the evil genius cower. 'I'm here to give you these.' She pulled out the three extra Chaos Emeralds she'd acquired. 'I thought you should have them since they're the three most likely to be taken back.'

Eggman eyed the Emeralds greedily. 'Where did you get those in such a short time?' He breathed.

'Your friends Sonic, Shadow and Tails,' Nightshade said simply.

Eggman raised his eyebrows. 'You went for them first?' He asked, surprised.

'No, we just found each other and one thing led to another.' Nightshade sighed. 'I'm gonna sleep here. I got next to no sleep last night and I'd prefer a bed to a roof.' Then she left, not letting Eggman speak again.

...

Shadow was lying on the bed, an ice pack against the back of his head and a deep scowl on his face. The thing that annoyed him the most was not that he'd lost against Nightshade – which, quite frankly, was a serious hit to his pride – but was the fact that she intrigued him so much. He had been thinking about it for hours. No one had woken up, meaning the news about the loss of _all_ their Chaos Emeralds in the space of two days hadn't reach them yet, although Shadow knew straight away it was not going to make them happy. Sonic had insisted on helping Shadow should Nightshade get that far, but Shadow had immediately said that he would be nothing but a distraction. Shadow sighed. He was just glad Nightshade hadn't used her electrical powers, or that could have been a lot worse.

The Ultimate Lifeform gritted his teeth and jumped out of bed, before charging out his open window. He skated towards Eggman's base, looking for at least _some_ information. Eggman was very caring of his own life, so a gun to the head would make him spill his deepest secrets, if that was what Shadow wanted to know.

Shadow blasted a hole in the side of Eggman's base with a few Chaos Spears, causing an alarm to go off. Shadow just growled as he skated at his full speed into Eggman's office. Shadow instantly drew his gun and pointed it at Eggman's head. The fat man paled. 'Turn those alarms off,' Shadow ordered harshly.

Eggman gave a shaky nod, before turning around and typing away at his large computer console. In just a few seconds, the alarms had stopped. 'W-Why are you here, Shadow?' Eggman asked nervously.

Shadow smirked at his fear. 'I want to know about Nightshade,' he growled.

Eggman shrugged. 'What's there to know?'

'Why create her?'

Eggman chuckled, before gulping when Shadow pressed his gun barrel directly up against his head. Even more blood drained from his face. 'To use her as a weapon, of course. To have her help me take over the world.'

'But why a biological creation? Why not another robot?' Shadow glared hard at him.

Eggman sighed. 'Robots are just lights and clockwork. They think very logically, but that means their minds are restricted. Someone like Nightshade would bring endless possibilites to the table.'

Shadow sighed, before lowering his gun. Suddenly, something grabbed his arms and held them behind his back. Shadow's gun was kicked away. A feral growl escaped the Ultimate Lifeform's lips, and he tried to escape, but to no avail. 'What do you want, Eggman?' He hissed.

'Well, since you're here, I might as well test my newest invention on you. With Nightshade's help, I now have four Chaos Emeralds.' Eggman said, grinning evilly.

Shadow struggled again, before finally recognising who was holding him. He froze. _Metal Sonic..._

...

Nightshade heard the alarms and jumped to her feet, before rushing through the door. But then they stopped. Nightshade grumbled to herself. 'Humph. Must have been one of those blasted robots.' Nightshade began walking towards Eggman's office. Along the way, she thought she saw a blue blur move past her, but, after a few seconds, decided it must have been her imagination. Nightshade continued walking. As soon as the door to Eggman's office opened, Nightshade froze on the spot.

Metal Sonic and Eggman were tying a bound and struggling Shadow to a machine. It was Eggman's new machine, the one that the Chaos Emeralds were helping to fuel. '_Shadow?_' Nightshade asked, bewildered.

All eyes turned her way, but Nightshade blocked out Eggman and Metal. 'So you _are_ still here,' Shadow grumbled.

'Why are _you_ here, of all places?' Nightshade asked, walking up to him. She stopped a few feet away.

Shadow shrugged, albeit awkwardly due to his binds. 'I needed answers.'

Nightshade rolled her eyes. 'Why?'

Another twisted shrug. 'You... fascinate me, I guess.'

Nightshade didn't blush, she just frowned. 'What about me?'

'The fact that we're so alike, yet somehow so different. We were raised the same way, but we couldn't be more different people.'

Nightshade smirked. 'Correction: we could be. We both like fighting.'

Shadow rolled his eyes. 'Whatever. I wanted to find out why Eggman created you.'

'So I can help him take over the world. Duh.' Nightshade growled.

Eggman suddenly pulled a lever on his desk, and Shadow's position was changed, before a clear glass tube was placed around him. Nightshade walked up to it and placed a gloved hand against the glass. Shadow looked coldly down at her, so Nightshade turned away and watched, leaning against the wall as she did.

Another lever was pulled, and the tube started glowing yellow. Nightshade saw Shadow wince, before he closed his eyes. Nightshade stepped forward when she saw his torment in his facial expression, before cringing at the way he grit his teeth. Eggman growled, before adjusting the settings of his machine. Shadow started screaming. His pained yells were muffled by the glass, but Nightshade's sensitive ears reacted to the screams.

She lasted four seconds, before charging to the console, pushing Eggman to the floor and shutting down the machine. The glass tube lifted and Shadow was hanging limply. Nightshade ran up to him and lifted his head, checking for any signs of consciousness. Shadow's eyes slowly opened, and all his pain went straight through Nightshade. She hissed and stepped back, before turning and glaring at Eggman. 'Why did you do that? What purpose did it hold?'

Eggman scowled at her. 'It was _supposed_ to drain his powers. I guess I need the rest of the Chaos Emeralds for it to work properly.'

Nightshade growled and quickly untied Shadow, allowing him to slump over her shoulder. 'Well, after seeing that, I'm not getting them for you.'

Eggman's face grew red with rage. 'What about you not caring whether you were good or evil?!' He demanded as Nightshade led Shadow outside.

The purple hedgehog stopped, before looking back, a fierce death-glare on her face. 'I didn't care. But you were torturing him, and I will not stand for that. Goodbye, Eggman. I hope you rot in hell.'

**Pretty unexpected, huh? Well, for you maybe.** **As always, thoughts welcome, especially constructive criticism (just don't be too harsh, please) and hopefully the next chapter will be up within the next couple of days.**


	9. Choices

**Disclaimer: I do not own anyone except Nightshade. Sonic and co. belong to SEGA.**

**Choices:**

Nightshade grabbed all three of Eggman's Chaos Emerald, meaning she now had four, and Chaos Controlled to the hill overlooking Soleanna. It was still night, and the whole city was illuminated by the half-moon. Nightshade adjusted her grip on Shadow, before walking over to a tree. There, she laid him down, letting him rest and regain some of his strength.

When she turned away to keep watch, Shadow's hand shot out and grabbed hold of her wrist. Nightshade looked down at him. 'Why did you do it?' Shadow asked weakly.

Nightshade shuddered and looked away. 'I couldn't bare to watch him do that to you. That was too much even for me to stomach.' Then she pulled away and climbed the hill, watching both Shadow and the city. She sat down and settled for her long night.

...

By the time the sun rose, Shadow had regained most of his energy. His muscles were sore and aching, and he had a terrible headache, but the worst of it was gone. Nightshade offered the Ultimate Lifeform a hand up, and Shadow grudgingly accepted. Nightshade looked back at Soleanna. 'So, where are we headed? Tails' house?'

Shadow nodded. 'That's where everyone else is.'

Nightshade then turned in the direction of Tails' house and began walking, with Shadow following silently behind her. In an ideal world she would Chaos Control there, he knew this, but he could tell the Emeralds drained her energy everytime she did that. Shadow understood this, because he said 'I'll see if Tails is up to making or finding some inhibitor rings, so the Chaos Emeralds don't drain you as much as they do.'

Nightshade nodded, before pulling out two of the Emeralds. She passed them to Shadow. 'Just in case you need them,' she said in response to his questioning gaze.

The whole journey was silent from then on, other than the soft crunch of grass under boot. Both were comfortable with this, and so neither made any attempt to end the quiet. Nightshade stopped on top of a rock, looking down at Tails' house from above. She sighed. 'What sort of welcome do you expect we're going to get?' She asked.

Shadow shrugged as he stopped beside her. 'Depends who goes in first. If I do then we're likely to be faced with some suspicious hedgehogs. If you do then you'll have a full-on fight on your hands.'

Nightshade grinned. 'I don't mind which. You choose.'

Shadow chuckled darkly. 'Since I'm fairly sure Tails wouldn't be happy if his house was destroyed, I'll go first.'

Nightshade pouted. 'Damn, I was looking forward to a good fight.'

Shadow jumped down and Nightshade followed. They began walking side-by-side. 'If you want a fight, just come and ask me. Not many people pose the same sort of challenge you do.'

Nightshade grinned. 'Race you!' They both burst into a sprint, becoming blurs as they moved. They came to a neat stop by the door. 'Oh, that was too close to tell!' Nightshade moaned.

Shadow nodded his agreement, before opening the door. Then he ushered Nightshade in. There was a group of anxious animals in the living room, one of whom was pacing the length of the room.

'Don't wear the carpet down, faker,' Shadow growled.

They all snapped their heads in his direction, surprise and relief flickering over their faces, before their eyes met Nightshade, and then there was distrust. Nightshade kept her face as a blank mask, refusing to show any emotion that could betray her feelings. 'Shadow, what is _she_ doing here?' Amy demanded, jumping to her feet and summoning her Piko Piko Hammer.

Shadow rolled his eyes. 'She helped me, so don't go attacking her, Rose.'

Amy growled. '_Don't call me Rose!_' She hissed.

'I'd take her advice, Shadow.' Nightshade said, smirking. 'She looks just about ready to smash your face in.'

Shadow growled. 'Shut, up, Nightshade.' Nightshade held up her hands in mock-surrender. 'Listen, Nightshade's against Eggman now.'

'But where did you go? And why are the Chaos Emeralds missing?' Sonic demanded, tapping his foot impatiently on the ground.

'I stole them. Why else?' Nightshade rolled her eyes.

'Nightshade did do that, yes.' Shadow said. 'I then went to Eggman's base to find out more about her. You know how much he fears losing his life. Eggman and Metal Sonic-'

'_Metal Sonic!?_' Tails demanded. 'B-But... he was destroyed! Eggman himself shut him down!'

Shadow shrugged. 'I guess he came back. Anyway, Eggman and Metal Sonic trapped me and put me in a machine, and that's when Nightshade came in. Then Eggman used his machine on me. It was powered by the Chaos Emeralds and was supposed to rid me of my powers, but instead all it did was cause me a hell of a lot of pain.' Nightshade shivered, closing her eyes and looking uncomfortable. Shadow glanced briefly at her, before continuing. 'Nightshade stopped it. She then untied me and left with me. She stole Eggman's Emeralds back and brought me to the top of the hill outside Soleanna. She let me rest the night while keeping watch, and then we headed here.'

There was a beat of silence. Nightshade finally opened her eyes, which were full of pain and discomfort. 'I need to go outside,' she whispered, before pushing past the black and red hedgehog and walking out the door. Shadow turned to the others, folding his arms across his chest and waiting for their response to his story.

'I don't want to believe you, Shadow,' Sonic started, 'but you're not the kind to lie.'

'Damn right I'm not,' Shadow growled.

'Look, if you say we can trust her, then we'll give her a chance. But anything suspcious and, I'm sorry, but she can't stay.' Sonic sighed.

Shadow pulled out his Chaos Emeralds. 'She gave these back. This proof enough for you?'

'It's alright, Shadow,' Nightshade said from the doorway, 'you don't need to defend me. They've given me a chance, that's all I need.'

Shadow sighed, before putting the Emeralds on the coffee table and heading upstairs.

...

Nightshade stood awkwardly against a wall, watching Sonic and Amy have what she would call a flirting war. Though it was obvious Sonic wanted to leave, he was throwing back flirtatious responses just like Amy. Nightshade rolled her eyes, before heading for an empty room. She found one and slouched on a chair, leaning her head against the backrest.

After about ten minutes, she heard footsteps approach her, and turned her head to see Amy stop about two metres away. 'If you don't mind my asking, why did you stop Eggman hurting Shadow? From what I hear, you have no preference over good and evil.'

Nightshade sighed. 'I guess I don't. Or didn't, at least. I thought it would all be the same to me. But watching Shadow being tortured in that machine made me so uncomfortable. I know Shadow can resist a lot, but he was screaming in agony. It was too much for me to handle, so I stopped it.' A cold shiver went down Nightshade's spine, and she closed her eyes as she waited for it to pass.

Amy sat beside Nightshade and placed a comforting arm on her shoulder. 'Look, we're all grateful for what you did for Shadow. That sort of pain could have eventually sent him mad, or even killed him. I still don't understand why you waited so long to leave that awful, _awful_ man.'

Nightshade sighed. 'I felt duty-bound to... serve him, I suppose. After all, I owe my entire existence to him.'

Amy nodded understandingly. 'I understand. Still, you shouldn't go back to him. After all, your family is here.'

Nightshade felt tears prickle the back of her eyes. 'I know I didn't know them long, but I thought Eggman and the others _were_ my family. Sure, they annoyed me, but, don't all families at some point?'

Amy blinked. 'That's one weird family as far as I can tell, but, then again, my opinion doesn't really count for much; I'm an only child.'

Nightshade shook her head. 'It wasn't easy leaving him. I owe a lot to him.'

'One good deed doesn't make up for all the bad he's done.' Amy said softly.

Nightshade sighed. 'I know.' She looked down at her gloved hands and then closed her eyes. Images of the only family she had ever known flashed in front of her eyelids. _Have I even made the right decision?_ Nightshade wondered to herself. _He may be evil, be he taught me everything I know. What would I be without him?_

**Kind of sounds like Nightshade's having an early mid-life crisis. By the way, hopefully BIG shock coming in the next chapter. As usual, please review. Thanks for sticking with me (and Nightshade, of course) this far!**


	10. Chaos, In More Ways Than One

**Disclaimer: I do not own anyone except Nightshade and the robot that appears very briefly in this chapter. (Not saying any names, that would be a spoiler).**

**Chaos, In More Ways Than One**

Eggman leaned back in his chair, sulking. He had lost his greatest asset, his most deadly ally. Metal Sonic even seemed put off by this latest turn of events, though he probably had different reasons for this. Eggman looked up at the empty machine and caught sight of a tuft of fur caught in the binds that once held Shadow. Eggman stood up and took it out. It was rough, black and short. Shadow's, without a doubt. Eggman gave an evil grin. He silently got to work, with Metal Sonic watching his closely, curious as to what he was doing, no doubt.

Eggman picked up a pencil and began drawing some blueprnits for a brand new machine. Metal sideled up to him and watched as Eggman's idea was recorded. His mecanical eyes widened. 'Eggman, you're a genius.'

Eggman scoffed. 'I know, Metal. Nice of you to finally notice.'

Metal rolled his eyes and left, leaving Eggman to his own devices. The evil man, after adding some dimensions to the machine, began to get to work with creating. He knew that Nightshade had left with every one of his Chaos Emeralds, so he designed this machine to work without one, although this was a challenge.

Still, he was finished by the next morning, tired but content with the way his machine had turned out. He quickly left his office and went to Nightshade's room, picking up a few stray strands of fur from her bed covers, before going back to his new machine. Eggman then placed the tufts of fur from boith Shadow and Nightshade in the machine, flicking the appropriate switches and turning it on. He then left, knowing it would take about four hours to complete.

...

Nightshade and Shadow glanced each other, their bodies tense. Nightshade had felt a shift in her torso, a sort of buzz, and, judging by the look Shadow gave her, he felt it to.

'Eggman?' Nightshade breathed.

Shadow shrugged. 'I don't know. I hope not.'

Sonic, Amy and Tails looked between them, confused. 'What one of you please explain to us what the hell you're on about?' Sonic demanded impatiently.

They both turned their red eyes on the blue hero, who, to his credit, didn't seem intimidated. 'Something happened. I think we both felt it, but there was a buzzing going through my torso a second ago. It was brief, but I definitely felt _something._' Nightshade said.

Shadow nodded. 'I did too, but for me it felt like part of my - I don't know, soul? - was splitting. That probably doesn't make sense, but there's no other way to describe it.'

Nightshade paled considerably. 'You don't think... Eggman's somehow created a clone of you, or something, do you?' She asked weakly.

Shadow sighed. 'I doubt it. Why would you feel something if he did?'

Nightshade considered this, before nodding once. 'Fair point.' She sighed. 'Then again, we don't know for sure it _is _Eggman who's done anything.'

'Who else would it be?' Amy asked.

Everyone shrugged. Nightshade shivered, a cold chill sweeping down her spine. Her ears perked up, and she heard the distant sound of... a large machine. 'Does anyone else hear that?' She asked.

Everyone strained their ears. Sonic, Amy and Tails shook their heads, but Shadow nodded. 'I can hear it. Sounds like a robot of some kind.'

Nightshade nodded. 'My thoughts exactly.' She then skated outside, with everyone else following behind her. In the distance, the moving lights of one of Eggman's ships was making its way towards them. But that was not what worried Nightshade. No, the thing that worried her was the sound of footsteps coming their way. Big footsteps, made by a heavy object.

She got into an offensive stance just as a large black robot came into sight, followed closely by Eggman. 'Eggman! What is this?!' Nightshade growled.

'I'm glad you asked. This is my latest creation, Metal Chaos. He was formed from the DNA of both you and Shadow, and holds a combination of both your powers, except he is made of pure titanium and is much stronger than all of you put together. Good luck, _heroes._' Eggman's last word came out as a sneer, before the fat man retreated and left. Nightshade knew that, secretly, he feared the defeat of his robot and didn't want to be there should that happen.

Shadow and Nightshade growled in unison, and grasped their Chaos Emeralds tightly. They exchanged a glance before grabbing hold of each others' wrist. They shouted 'Chaos Spear!' at the same time, and their combined power was flung at Metal Chaos. The raw entities of Chaos Energy ricocheted off the strong armour, causing absolutely no damage. The Spear came towards the Sonic team, and they had to quickly jump out of the way to avoid them. Amy wasn't quite as lucky as the rest of them.

Her pained scream permeated the air, and everyone's heads whipped her way, except Shadow's and Nightshade's, because they were busy watching Metal Chaos. Amy's whimpers still reached their ears, and both of them were internally worried about her. Chaos Spears were dangerous when they were alone, but with the combined power of both of them, it could be downright fatal. Metal Chaos watched emotionlessly, not making any move to attack, although no doubt because he knew he was being wacthed _very_ closely. Nightshade risked a glance towards Amy, and saw a severe and bleeding burn on her leg. Tears were pouring out of the girl's eyes as her friends looked her over. Nightshade couldn't take any more, so turned her attention back to Metal Chaos. She drew both her Chaos Emeralds and concentrated solely on their power. Four duplicates of herself appeared behind her. Shadow, after sending her a smirk, copied. Then, they all joined hands and went up a notch. Their voices echoed loudly in the clearing as they shouted. 'CHAOS BLAST!'

A huge explosion of Chaos Energy was shot towards Metal Chaos, who somehow managed to look stunned. The Energy egulfed Metal Chaos, and the sounds of grinding cogs suddenly could be heard. By the time the energy dissipated, Metal Chaos was nothing more than a pile of cinders on the ground. While Nightshade ran towards Amy, Shadow went to examine the remains.

Nightshade got on her knees beside the pink hedgehog and began gently stroking her quills, in an attempt to soothe her. Amy's green eyes met Nightshade's, and a soft frown went over her face. 'Why?' She asked in a strained voice.

Nightshade smiled. 'Because it's the right thing to do, and you're my friend.' She replied. Amy looked confused, but then a grimace shot over her face as Tails injected something into her leg. Amy's eyes began to droop, and Amy fell asleep. Nightshade looked at the others, before pulling Amy into her arms. She then followed the other's inside Tails' house to a small infirmary. Nightshade looked down at Amy, and worry struck her heart. Worry for the little hedgehog with a short temper and a hammer. 'Hang in there, Ames, you're going to be fine.' She whispered.

**Sorry there wasn't any big battle, but when Nightshade got all powerful, it was obvious MC didn't have a chance. Anyways, hope you lliked it and please leave a review.**


	11. Focusing on the Recovery

**Disclaimer: I do not anyone except Nightshade.**

**Focusing on the Recovery:**

Nightshade refused to leave Amy's side the entire time she was asleep. That was well over 24 hours. Nightshade barely slept, too. A few other people came in to check on them both every now and then, but mainly they were alone. Nightshade had no idea why Amy's state had her so worried, but it did, and she hated it. Nightshade was now constantly on edge, her worry making her movements jerky and unexpected, even to her at times.

'Come on, Amy, please wake up,' Nightshade whispered through her dry, parched throat. It made her voice sound scratchy.

The little pink hedgehog, as if hearing her plea, stirred slightly, and her eyelids flickered, although she didn't wake. It was enough to make Nightshade sigh in relief, though. The purple hedgehog leaned back in her chair and smiled for the first time in over a day. She then shakily got to her feet and stumbled down the hallway. She had to use the wall for support. Nightshade had no idea what time it was, though guessed it was late, because no one was in the living room or the kitchen. Nightshade went to a cabinet and pulled out a glass. She filled it with water and began drinking quickly. It took four full glasses to finally satisfy the hedgehog, and she then became far more energised. She was able to walk back to Amy's room without help this time, and resumed her place next to Amy's bed.

Nightshade woke to find her head on her arms and Amy awake next to her. Nightshade blinked, before smiling at the girl. 'Hey, Ames. How are you doing?' She asked softly.

'I think I'm alright,' Amy answered. 'How long was I out?'

Nightshade shrugged. 'A couple of days. Depends how long I was asleep. Sorry about that, bu the way, I wanted to be at least conscious when you woke.'

Amy blinked in shock. 'Were... you here the whole time?' She blurted out.

Nightshade nodded. 'I didn't want to leave you. I'm not sure why, if I'm honest, although I expect it's partially because your injury was my fault.'

Amy shook her head, before clutching it as if she was in pain. 'Ugh, dizzy spell.' Amy then met Nightshade's eyes again. 'It wasn't your fault, Nightshade. You only did what you could to defeat Metal Choas.'

Nightshade sighed and leaned back in her chair. 'Still, I do feel a little guilty.' She stood up. 'I expect you're hungry. Want me to whip you up some soup?'

In answer to her question, Amy's stomach growled, causing the pink girl to blush. 'If you wouldn't mind.' She said sheepishly.

Nightshade smiled. 'Any particular type, or just whatever we've got?'

Amy thought. 'Can I have some carrot soup, please?'

Nightshade nodded. 'I'll be back as soon as I can.'

Amy smiled weakly. 'Thanks.'

Nightshade headed into the kitchen and began to prepare some carrots. She peeled and chopped them, before putting them into some water to boil. She also added some corriander, a little left over butternut squash and a vegetable stock. There was enough for everyone, plus probably a little more. She placed a lid on the saucepan to let it stew. She then got out a fresh glass and filled it with water.

Nightshade went back to Amy's room and placed the water next to Amy's bed. The pink hedgehog looked up and smiled. 'Thanks,' she said.

Nightshade smiled and patted Amy's shoulder. 'Just let me know if you need anything, okay?'

Amy nodded, before picking up her water and sipping it.

As Nightshade left the room, Sonic came down the stairs, still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He stopped when he saw Nightshade up and walking about. 'Hey, Nightshade. Something wrong?'

Nightshade shook her head. 'Amy's awake, if you want to see her.'

Sonic's face lit up, and he instantly ran down the hall to see her. Nightshade chuckled, before walking back into the kitchen. She added some olive oil to the soup, before giving it a quick stir. She then set the oven timer for ten minutes, to see how they were getting on after that. Just as she was about to leave the kitchen, Shadow walked in. He looked fairly tired still.

Their eyes met, and Nightshade smield. 'Morning, Shadow.'

Shadow grunted, before brewing himself a strong cup of coffee. 'Want some?' He asked as the it began to boil.

'...Sure why not? Thanks.' Nightshade accepted the coffee and took a sip. _Yep, very strong._ Still, she liked it.

Shadow glanced at the pot on the stove. 'What are you making?'

'Soup,' Nightshade answered simply, taking another sip of her coffee. 'Amy's awake now, so I thought I'd make her something.' In response to the face Shadow pulled, Nightshade chuckled. 'Yes, there is enough for everyone.'

Shadow grunted again, before heading through the living room and towards Amy's room. Nightshade following, carrying her coffee in her hands. They stood in the doorway and watched as Amy listened to Sonic talking about Metal Choas' destruction with rapt attention. Her eyes even held a little humour. Nightshade smirked at her brother's enthusiastic "acting".

'Oh, shut up, Sonic,' Nightshade moaned. She walked in and shooed Sonic out of the seat, before sitting down on it and resting her feet on the edge of Amy's bed. 'Okay, we destroyed him. Great. You don't have to act like it was some goddamn miracle.'

'Well, you saw what happened when you sent Chaos Spears at him.' Sonic pointed out. 'He was a tough robot.'

'No tougher than normal. We beat him, didn't we?' Shadow spoke from the doorway.

Nightshade sent him a smirk, before drinking some more of her coffee. 'See?'

Sonic huffed and folded his arms, pouting. This made Amy giggle. 'Whatever. Can't blame me for trying to cheer her up, can you?'

Nightshade shrugged. 'No, fair enough. I still don't think it required some much drama, though.'

Sonic huffed again, before leaving, sulking. Amy and Nightshade exchanged an amused glance. 'Nice to see you're awake, Rose.' Shadow said, before leaving.

Amy glared after him. 'When will he learn that calling me Rose makes me want to smash his face in?'

Nightshade chuckled. 'I told him,' she muttered under his breath. 'And in answer of your question, I'd reckon a very long time. Shadow doesn't strike me as the type of person that likes to do anything anyone else's way. He's one of those "me or nothing" guys, I think.'

Amy shurged. 'I think you're right, though I can't say that makes me particularly happy.'

'What's so wrong about him calling you Rose anyway? It's a nice name.' Nightshade asks, allowing Amy to drink from her cup.

Amy pulled a face. 'Wow, that's so strong! Did you make that?'

Nightshade smirked and shook her head. 'No, Shadow did, though I like it.'

Amy sighed. 'I just don't think it suits me. Rose. It doesn't sound right.'

Nightshade frowned. 'I disagree. I think it suits you perfectly.'

Amy sighed. 'Shadow agrees with you, I think. Either way, I don't like it.'

Nightshade laughed. 'Alright, Amy, you shouldn't get worked up. I was just asking.'

Amy scowled and said 'humph.'

For the next few minutes they sat in silence, and during that time, Nightshade had finished her coffee. She could feel her body buzzing thanks to the caffeine. A beeping noise caused Nightshade to get to her feet. 'I'll be back in a few minutes.'

Amy nodded as Nightshade left. The hedgehog wandered back into the kitchen and checked the vegetables. She then drained a little of the water and poured the ingredients into the food processor. For a few minutes the food processor worked on reducing the ingredients into a soup consistency. Nightshade then called to Sonic, who was in the next room.

'Sonic, can you go and wake everyone else up, and tell them that theres some soup here if they want it.'

Sonic shouted 'sure thing!' back, and Nightshade heard him run up the stairs. Nightshade began pouring uot some bowls of soup. She poured one for Amy and herself, just as Shadow and Sonic walked in. They poured some for themselves. Nightshade passed Tails in the living room. She then went back to Amy.

Amy's eyes lit up at the sight of the steaming bowl in Nightshade's hand, and took it eagerly. Amy rested the soup on the blanket covering her body and began eating it. Her face melted into a smile. 'This is really good!' She said.

Nightshade returned her smile. 'Thanks, I'm glad you like it.' They ate in silence next to one another, bringing up a conversation every now and then. Nightshade and Amy both felt closer to each other after today.

**I know this may just seem like pointless drabble to you, but I think it's important for the story. Anyway, as always, review and tell me what you think. Thanks!**


	12. Fighting Back

**Disclaimer: Nightshade is my OC, the Sonic team belong to SEGA.**

**Fighting Back:**

Nightshade was wandering through the streets of Soleanna, merely because she was bored and it wasn't too far from Tails' house, especially when you Chaos Controlled there. Before long, Nightshade found herself on the edge of the street, facing the sea and Soleanna Castle in the distance. She smiled at the sight of it. She knew a fair amount about Princess Elise, although how, she wasn't quite sure. It was one of those things she just... knew. She could also tell, even from this distance, the castle was pretty much empty. And that meant that Elise must be somewhere in the city. Nightshade skated towards a building and nimbly jumped onto the roof. She saw a crowd gathered near one of the large bell towers. She skated towards the crowd and watched as the princess spoke to the crowd from the roof of a building.

A ship suddenly emerged from the water, creating a large wave that crashed over the land. The citizens and Elise looked up and some began screaming or shouting, but Nightshade just growled in annoyance. It was one of Eggman's ships. She then saw a blue figure jump down from on top of the ship and land right by the water. He straightened, and Nightshade knew instantly who it was. Metal Sonic. She crouched down, preparing to intervene if necessary, but wanted to stand back and watch first, so didn't move just yet.

Elise stepped back a few times while the citizens ran around in a wild panic. Eggman appeared from inside his ship. 'Princess Elise the Third. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Doctor Eggman, and I'm afraid you have something I require. Hand it over, and your city remains unharmed. Fail to collaborate and I will raize this place to the ground and pick the Chaos emerald you currently posses from the ashes.'

For Nightshade, this was the last straw. She jumped off the roof of the building and quickly ran towards the princess, before stopping in front of her. 'Not if I can help it,' Nightshade growled.

Eggman scowled at her. 'I see Metal Chaos failed to dispose of you and your pesky friends. Where is he?'

Nightshade smirked. 'He's a pile of ash on the ground. Too bad your improvements were useless.'

Eggman turned red with rage. 'You won't stop me, _Nightshade,_' he sneered. 'I will take over this world eventually.'

Nightshade snorted, content on taunting and mocking the man to buy the ciitizens some time to escape. Elise seemed unwilling to move. 'If that were really to happen, Eggman, it would have happened already. Why don't you just face the fact you're a failure?'

Eggman growled. 'You shouldn't speak like that to the man who created you.'

Nightshade's face flattened, becoming an emotionless mask. 'Perhaps you _were_ like a father to me once, Eggman. Perhaps you did create me. But your heartless way of dealing with things put an end to all that. Maybe, if you hadn't _tortured Shadow, _I would still be on your side.'

Eggman glowers. 'I don't care for your attempt to make me feel guilty. Metal, destroy her.'

Nightshade smirked as her old ally started towards her. 'Oh, I don't think so.' Nightshade grabbed Elise's hand and pulld out her Chaos Emerald. 'Chaos Control!' They appeared outside Tails' workshop.

Elise glanced worriedly down at Nightshade. 'I appreciate your help, but, what about Soleanna?'

Nightshade smiled kindly at her. 'Don't worry about that. A few friends of mine and me can get rid of Eggman for you. I just brought you here to keep you safe.'

Elise nodded, accepting this explanation. Nightshade led the princess inside the house. Everyone was in the living room, even Amy, although her leg was bandaged. They looked up and were surprised to see Elise. 'What's wrong, Nightshade?' Sonic asked, jumping to his feet immediately. His eyes were on Elise, and hers on him.

Nightshade raised an eyebrow. 'Know each other?' She asked.

They both shook their heads. 'No, I don't think so,' Sonic said hastily, averting his gaze.

'That being said...' Elise glanced at Sonic again. 'I do feel like I recognise you.'

Nightshade sighed. 'Alright, we'll get to that later. Shadow, Sonic, you guys come with me. Tails, Amy, stay here and look after Elise.'

'Where are we going? And why?' Shadow questioned as he too got to his feet.

'Eggman and Metal Sonic are attacking Soleanna. We need to get rid of them.' Nightshade replied. They both nodded seriously. Nightshade turned to Elise. 'Wouldn't be willing to lend us your Chaos Emerald, would you?'

Elise hesitated, before passing her a glowing purple Emerald. 'As long as I get it back once you return.'

Nightshade nodded. 'I will, I promise.' Nightshade suddenly paused. 'We have five Chaos Emeralds, yes?' Shadow and Sonic nodded, not understanding. 'Maybe we can use them to bring the other two to us.' Nightshade went outside and, after taking Shadow's Emeralds from him, concentrated on their power. They began to glow and circle her body. Nightshade closed her eyes and concentrated on finding the final two gems. Within seconds they had joined the others. Nightshade moved her gaze to Sonic and Shadow, before lifting her hands. Sonic and Shadow each pressed a palm against one of hers, before their other hands met opposite her. They absorbed the Chaos Energy. For Nightshade, it was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. The power she felt running through her was immense. Her body felt warm, it felt fulll of energy. Nightshade looked between Sonic and Shadow, who had both become gold. Looking down at herself, Nightshade saw that her purple fur had become silver, and her highlights gold.

After sharing a brief nod, the three of them flew off towards Soleanna. They appeared within seconds, only to find Eggman throwing missiles at Soleanna from his ship in the air, and Metal Sonic wreaking havoc from the streets.

Nightshade clenched her hands into fists and growled. 'I can't believe I was ever allied with that man!'

Sonic placed a warm hand on her shoulder. 'You aren't now, that's what's important.'

'Let's just get this over with,' Shadow said sharply, his blazing eyes following Metal's movements.

Nightshade and Sonic nodded, before they all split up to deal with their own problems.

**Sorry I haven't updated for a while - it's not easy trying to finish off about five different stories at once. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter and please review.**


	13. Forgotten Journey

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic and co., just Nightshade.**

**Forgotten Journey**

Nightshade went towards Eggman's ship, with Sonic following behind her. Shadow had gone after Metal Sonic. Nightshade was confident that Metal wouldn't survive, so didn't worry for the black – well, gold for the moment – hedgehog. She also knew that, with Sonic helping her, defeating Eggman would be a walk in the path. The two of them flew straight towards Eggman's ship and landed directly in front of him, both of them surrounded by a bright gold hue. Eggman glared hard at them.

'So, you're back,' he sneered at Nightshade.

Nightshade smirked. 'I said I would be.' She said. Eggman suddenly began laughing. The two hedgehogs exchanged a confused glance, not realising that a large metal tube was sneaking up on them. It suddenly snapped over the unsuspecting hedgehogs' heads, trapping them. They smirked and launched fairly weak attacks on the tube, but didn't cause any damage. Growling, Nightshade turned to Sonic, her eyes burning with fury. 'Get off the ground.'

Sonic nodded seriously and floated as high up as he could. Closing her eyes, Nightshade focused her electrical energy on the ship, the tips of her fingers pressed against the metal. She closed her eyes to concentrate as much as she could, before blasting teh floor with electricity. The whole ship suddenly began to vibrate and shake, due to the electricity short circuiting the entire ship. Eggman growled as the vibration caused the tube glass to shatter, freeing the two hedgehogs. They sprung away and began launching attack after attack at the ship, causing it to plummet towards the sea. Nightshade – somewhat unwillingly – caught Eggman and held him a few feet above the surface of the water, before flying after Sonic to find Shadow.

They came across him throwing dozens of Chaos Spears at Metal Sonic. Metal had a shattered eye, a missing arm and several severe burns over his casing, but he was still functioning. Just about. Nightshade quickly tied Eggman to a post with an electrical rope. She warned him that trying to escape would cause it to electrocute the evil scientist. She then helped Shadow and Sonic with Metal. Within only tweny seconds, he was a smoldering pile of cinders of the ground. A strange quiet suddenly spread over the city, as the people returned and began inspecting the damage.

The energy began draining from the three hedgehogs, and they slumped somewhat wearily against buildings or, in Nightshade's case, an upturned car. She was breathing heavily, her energy at an all-time low, but she was content with what they managed to achieve. Nightshade turned her attention back to Eggman. She walked slowly up to him. Stopping before the fat man, she folded her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow at him.

Eggman growled in frustration. 'What now, then?' He glared at her, though it had no effect on the purple hedgehog.

'Now, you go back to prison.' Sonic said, stealing Nightshade's line, though she didn't care much.

Eggman sighed and grumbled something under his breath. 'What was that?' Shadow snapped impatiently.

Eggman rolled his eyes, somehow managing to look nonchalant. 'Like you'd really want to know.'

Nightshade suddenly raised her arms and made the rope holding Eggman to give him a nasty shock. Eggman grinned and took the hit as if it had no effect on him. Nightshade felt her frustration rise, and shocked him again. Nothing more than another cocky grin. Nightshade huffed and turned away.

'Your powers have no effect on me, Nightshade,' Eggman commented evilly. 'They are useless, and powerless.' Nightshade growled, but did nothing more than clench her hands into fists. 'You aren't truly the Ultimate Lifeform, are you? I may have created you to be powerful, but you are nothing close to what I hoped you'd be.'

Nightshade closed her eyes, fighting her annoyance and anger. He was taunting her, trying to get her to snap and lash out. She wouldn't fall for his tricks. Instead, she turned back, her face a mask of emotionless, and shocked him again. This time, she put more power into it, and kept it going for far longer. Eggman gave out a shriek, satisfying the young hedgehog and making her stop. 'You're wrong. You're just annoyed because my power isn't yours to use as you wish. And no, I'm not the Ultimate Lifeform. I never was, and I never will be. Even 200 years from now. Even if the entire world is consumed by flames and Shadow becomes powerless against it, I will not be what he is.'

Sonic and Shadow look at her in astonishment, no doubt wondering what she's talking about. In truth, she hadn't meant to bring up her dream, whether indirectly or not. Still, there was nothing she could do to change what she'd already gone and said. Suddenly, Shadow clutched his head, groaning. He clamped his eyes shut and fought the pain for several minutes. When he finally let go of his head, his eyes were wary and full of what appeared to be pain. His gaze met Nightshade's. 'What made you say that?' He asked, his voice tense and dry.

Nightshade shrugged. 'Does it matter?'

'A lot.'

She sighed and turned away. 'It was related to a dream I had once, that's all.'

Shadow huffed, before Sonic suddenly yelped. He was clutching his head, much like Shadow had only minutes before. His body was taught with pain, and a shiver or two went over his body during the next minutes. Eggman just watched, baffled. Nightshade was equally confused as she watched the hedgehog turn his wide eyes on her. 'I...' He couldn't form a single sentence. His gaze suddenly flattened. 'Elise.' Then he disappeared in a blue streak.

Nightshade sighed and crossed her arms again, this time facing Shadow. 'Explain,' she demanded strongly.

Shadow looked at her for a few more moments, before beginning his story. 'Not too long ago, something big happened. For me, it started when infiltrating one of Eggman's bases to rescue an agent. For Sonic, it began when he saved Princess Elise from an attack Eggman sent towards the town. Before long, both of us were sent to the future; 200 years, to be precise. The world was as you just described it, devastated by flames. We met the cause of those flames while we were there. It was a creature called Iblis. I then came across a shadow creature called Mephiles who, in the present time, had formed a body using my shadow. I confronted him, and he showed me myself in that time, caught and sleeping, hoping to make me join him. I refused, and before long, went back to the present time.

'I then went to Eggman to find answers about Mephiles, but Eggman refused to hand them over unless I gave him Mephiles, though he gave me a clue to start me off. From there, I had an incounter with a silver hedgehog who was trying to kill Sonic. I had a battle with him, before convincing him to go back to the past with me, to prove Sonic's innocence and Mephiles' deceit. He agreed, and we went back to the time of the Solaris Project. You should probably know, but Solaris is the name of Soleanna's sun god. Anyway, we split up, Silver-'

'Silver!' Nightshade demanded, interrupting Shadow without realising.

Shadow nodded. 'Yes. Do you know of him?'

nightshade thought. 'Sort of. He was someone who appeared in that dream. Anyway, sorry for interrupting you. Go on.'

Shadow hesitated, but continued. 'Silver went after Iblis, and I went after Mephiles. Both of us succeeded in sealing them, so then went back to the present time. I met my G.U.N. Partner, Rouge, there, and we went in search for something called the Sceptor of Darkness. When we found one, we went to the desert not too far from here, and fought with Mephiles there. By then, he had two Chaos Emeralds. We managed to defeat him, but, before long, were surrounded by a white light.

'We appeared in a small time pocket. Mephiles had managed to escape and made Princess Elise cry, causing her to release Iblis' flames. Mephiles and Iblis, you see, were part of the same being, and Mephiles wanted to join back with his other half. In doing so, he was pulling apart time itself. Sonic, Silver and I became Super, so we could defeat Solaris, who was who Mephiles and Iblis became. When we did, time began to repair. Then Elise dowsed the original flame that was Solaris, meaning that none of it had ever happened. We shouldn't remember it, but somehow our memories have resurfaced.' Shadow finished, and for a few seconds, everything was silent.

Nightshade gave a weak laugh, accidentally shocking Eggman in the process. The man squeaked almost comically, before clamping his mouth shut. Nightshade rolled her eyes at him, before turning back to Shadow. 'That's quite a tale. It would seem I've missed quite a lot of adventures.'

Shadow just nodded. 'Come on, let's get Eggman to the others so we can take him back to prison.'

Nightshade nodded and briefly released her electricity's hold on his hands, before binding them in front of his. As she began walking towards Tails' house, the electric bind followed her, forcing Eggman to do the same. As they walked, there was nothing but silence. Shadow was walking behind the other two, no doubt ready to act should Nightshade's power fail for some reason. Nightshade glanced out to sea as she walked, and saw the remains of Eggman's ship half-floating in the water. _I hope no one got hurt,_ she thought.

**Sorry for the wait, I'm still trying to get through my multiple fanfics. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter and the next one should be up soon(ish). Please leave a comment!**


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